Dacia Sandero Stepway (13 on) - Review

Review by Parkers
on 05 Dec 2012

Last Updated: 02 Sep 2014

3.5

The Dacia Sandero Stepway is a two-wheel-drive supermini packaged in a chunky off-road design making it the most eye-catching model on the Sandero range. Billed as the most affordable ‘crossover’ in the UK the Sandero Stepway is already setting markers down for its rivals thanks to its no-frills approach and low entry-level price.

Summary

The Dacia Sandero Stepway is a two-wheel-drive supermini packaged in a chunky off-road design making it the most eye-catching model on the Sandero range.

Billed as the most affordable ‘crossover’ in the UK the Sandero Stepway is already setting markers down for its rivals thanks to its no-frills approach and low entry-level price. The Sandero Stepway is cheap and cheerful but it’s not going to wow you with cutting-edge technology or amazing driving dynamics.

The affordable pricing is designed to get motorists out of used cars and into a new car for the very first time. Families on a tight budget will appreciate the practicality, good average economy, chunky design and it’s cheap price.

Engine line-up

The Stepway comes with a range of fuel-efficient engines offering low running costs. The sole petrol offering is a three-cylinder producing 89bhp. It returns 52.3mpg on average and it emits 125g/km of CO2. The diesel engine is the 1.5-litre with a claimed combined economy of 70.6mpg with CO2 emissions of 105g/km. Both engines are mated to a five-speed gearbox.

Dacia Sandero Stepway equipment

Two trims are available on the Sandero Stepway. The entry-level Ambiance specification comes with electric front windows, front fog lights, and roof bars, Bluetooth, metallic paint, and a radio/CD system, driver and front passenger airbags, front side airbags and stability control.

Choose the top-of-the-range Laureate trim and you get everything on the Ambiance version plus aircon, a chrome front grille, electric windows, electric heated door mirrors, cruise control, speed limiter, rear parking sensors, sat nav and entertainment system with a seven-inch touchscreen and AUX and USB inputs.

Practicality matters

The Stepway offers incredible practicality. The 40mm of extra ground clearance over the standard Sandero is useful when you need to negotiate rough terrain or mount kerbs. With the seats in place the Sandero Stepway has a loadspace of 320 litres and when folded this expands to 1,200 litres, which is more than that offered by a Ford Focus that offers 316 and 1,101 litres respectively.

Parkers recommends

It may not be the most frugal but the three-cylinder TCe90 is the best engine in the range. It is more refined than the diesel offering and is much nicer to drive. It’s perfect for those of you that are going to use the Sandero Stepway on short journeys. Ambiance trim should be perfect for many first-time buyers who want to keep their costs low. For more details, read the full Dacia Sandero Stepway review that follows.